


Forest of Secrets

by tabbiano



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2020-07-20 11:27:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19991398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbiano/pseuds/tabbiano
Summary: Irene Bae, daughter of a prestigious family, is kidnapped by Son Seungwan, a mysterious hybrid human who lives alone in what seems to be a mystical forest. Mystery unfolds as Seungwan’s existence remains unknown to society, and Irene is burdened with a secret that should have been laid to rest.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Just wanted to let you know that the stories currently posted here are also on AFF, and are more up to date there. Thanks.

Irene stared at herself in the mirror while her sister grudgingly prepared her outfit and make up for the dinner tonight.

She sighed. Just another one of her parents' arranged dinner dates. Why, they had just attended another one last week, the week before, and the week before that, and...

"Irene, it's time to go!" Mrs. Bae knocked on the door a little impatiently. "Come, we don't want to keep your father waiting."

"Coming, Mother!" Irene spoke up. "Thank you, Yeri."

The younger girl shrugged nonchalantly and went to clear up her materials. Irene cast a sad glance over her shoulder before going out with her mother. She and her sister used to be so close, but now they were lightyears away. Ever since her parents began arranging for marriage and making her meet businessmen with them, Yeri seemed to be more resentful and indifferent towards her.

"Hurry up, darling. Your father is waiting with our guests," Mrs. Bae chided her. "Driver, please make a timely arrival."

"I'll worry about the driving, ma'am." Irene noted that the driver sounded a tad bit annoyed, and felt symapthetic towards the man as her mother could be pushy a lot of the time. He cracked the whip once more and the horses increased their speed ever so slightly.

Once they were finally on the way to the restaurant, her mother kept reminding her to be respectful and quiet, and to make sure to be nice to the boy. Then, she continued on about the assets of their dinner guests, and how it was a surprise that Irene would never believe.

By that point, Irene already tuned her out.

She just really wanted it to be over because she had to deal with too many guys already. They weren't bad, but she just wasn't attracted to any of them at all.

"We have arrived," the driver announced. "Have a safe night. I will be back quarter till midnight."

-

Upon arrival at the table, Irene's father and his guests stood up to greet them. Irene bowed to them respectfully and gave a shy smile.

"Irene, his is CEO Park and his son Park Bogum," Mr. Bae announced.

A tall handsome gentlemen bowed to Irene, taking her hand in his and kissing the tops of her knuckles. "A pleasure to meet you, Irene."

Slightly shocked at the gesture, Joohyun gulped and managed to reply a respectful response. The whole time, Bogum held her hand lightly with a smile on his face. Awkwardly, she retracted her hand and glanced at her parents, who looked very pleased with the exchange.

"Oh my, she is so beautiful!" Mrs. Park exclaimed. "Your description was an understatement Mr. Bae."

Irene found that her parents strategically organized the seating arrangement so that she was sitting directly across from Park Bogum. She was forced to talk to him now. While their parents discussed business matters, vacation plans, and other topics of the richfolk, Irene poured everyone a cup of tea. Just like she'd been taught from a young age.

"Thanks so much," Bogum said when she placed a cup towards him. "Your father has told me much about your achievements. I heard you are an excellent chef as well as an ace in horsemanship."

"Ah, no, they must be exaggerating," Irene said bashfully. Honestly, she didn't think she had any useful skills that would help her succeed in life. Cooking was a necessity for survival, but horsemanship was just something on the side. Her parents had raised her to be a wife after all. Why would she have to worry about food and a roof over her head if a man could provide all those things for her? "Anyone can cook and learn to ride a horse."

"Don't be so shy!" Bogum's mother had heard them, and Mrs. Bae gave Irene a sharp look of warning. "Those are all wonderful qualities a wife should have."

Finally, the waiters arrived with carts of delicious food and a bottle of the finest wine possible.

"Cheers to our partnership!" She heard Bogum's father declare gallantly.

Everyone raised their wine glasses for the occassion and tipped the glasses to their lips before digging into the meal.

Irene managed to keep her mouth full the whole time so that Bogum's parents would not ask her too many questions. It looked like this arrangement was supposed to be permanent and she didn't really want to hear them gush unnecessarily over her beauty and skills.

\---

Irene found herself sitting before the mirror once again with the maid Sunny helping her this time. Yeri had made the usual excuse of wanting to help the stableman Jonghyun with the horses in the back.

Her hair was tied back into a simple ponytail, and her makeup lightly applied for a natural look. "The young master will certainly love your natural beauty," Sunny commented. "You look good in everything you wear."

Irene glanced over herself, a creamy white button up shirt fit over her body perfectly tucked into a long black skirt that covered her ankles.

Now she was in the front room awaiting Bogum's arrival while Sunny insisted to help tie up her shoes.

Mrs. Bae gushed over her, exclaiming that she was finally a grown woman with a very promising future ahead. Irene's father managed to calm down his wife, reassuringly expressingly that everything would take time.

Finally, Bogum arrived in all his stunning handsome glory complete with slacks and a nice shirt for their date. "Miss Irene," he said and kissed her hand in greeting.

He certainly planned the events of their evening. A carriage parked outside her home pulled by the most beautiful white horses. The driver, a young boy dressed in a butler's outfit smiled at her when they entered. All of this belonged to the Park family.

Irene concluded that they must be just as rich as her father if they could afford their own transportation.

"Irene."

"What?" She turned to Bogum after watching the passing scenery.

"You look beautiful like this." He reached over to tuck back a lock of hair behind her hear.

She flinched, but said nothing. "You look good too," she replied.

\---

A shadow lurked in the dark encompasses of her forest home. She quietly crept upon the soft ground, but stopped when her hearing picked up the sound of a hooves and wheels against pavement.

Curious, she went to investigate.

She easily climbed up a tree and traveled through the branches swiftly until she could get within hearing of the street from a safe distance.

A couple were leaving a fancy carriage.

Humans...

Male and Female.

Rarely did they ever come here in the night.

“Stupid humans,” she hissed. “Nighttime is playtime for Seungwan!”

Bogum took Irene to a place on the edge of town close to the countryside. All surroundings were almost trees and grassland. There were lampposts marking the roadside every few yards or so, but other than that, it was dark.

The only source providing light was the full moon that was only halfway into the night sky.

Bogum offered his arm to Irene and she accepted it just as her mother always told her to. He smiled warmly at her. “I love moonlit walks, don’t you?”

“Um…I prefer daylight actually…”

“Hm…yes the sun does warm the skin.” He covered her hand with his. “You must be cold?” Without wasting a second, he took off his coat and covered her shoulders with it. “Better?”

“Yes, thanks…but you really didn’t have to. I was just fine.”

“Don’t worry. I do not want to get you sick because of our romantic moonlight walk.”

Irene didn’t reply. She was sure he was trying to be nice, but this still felt awkward. This was only their second meeting after all.

“You are just as your father said: quiet yet graceful and very beautiful.” He began to lead her along the walk. Another town was just a ways down the road, but it was too far to get there by foot.

Irene would have thought the scenery was nice in the daytime, but everything just seemed really eerie. Every shadow made her wary, and every sound was making her heart skip.

Did he do this on purpose?

Was he trying to make her feel scared so he could protect her?

Irene thought she heard rustling somewhere behind them. They were only divided from the forest by hedge and a fence, so it wouldn’t be unlikely that a wild animal was roaming here.

“B-Bogum-ssi, do you hear something?” she asked once the fear began eating her up.

“Hm? I think that’s the wind.” He was concerned now. “Are you alright? We should go back. You don’t look so good.”

“Yes, please.”

They turned, but by that point it was too late. A shadow barred the way, crouched before them like an animal. Irene couldn’t detect their features at all. It was dark, and the shadow seemed to be well covered in a dark cloak that concealed all but glowing green eyes.

“Come to play?” the shadow hissed.

“Halt! Who are you?” Bogum said sternly. “Let us leave in peace and there will be no trouble.”

The shadow rasped in laughter. “Trouble? Already you are in trouble!”

Bogum growled in annoyance. “My father is a very powerful man. We can do anything to you. So go away, you…you fiend!”

“Bogum!” Irene cried out to all of their surprise. “You shouldn’t say that!”

There was silence. When she glanced at the shadow, the green eyes staring at them, but it seemed that she was staring past them at the same time.

“W-we’re leaving, ok? Sorry for bothering you.”

Just as she turned, a weight knocked her down. She heard Bogum cry out and loud bangs ripped the air, but then he screamed. Quickly, Irene tried to get up. She heard the sound of something ripping, but she couldn’t see much in the darkness, except the silhouette of the shadow on top of Bogum.

The moon was higher, and now she could see liquid pooling from Bogum.

“B-blood!” she shrieked.

The shadow heard her and charged at her.

The last thing Irene saw was the stars twinkling peacefully above as if nothing had ever happened.

-

Irene felt a lot of pain in her head as she slowly came to. She felt really stiff, but also warm at the same time. The air smelled a bit like the library in her father’s study—old books and paper—but it also smelled dank like old water.

She groaned and started to sit up. A warm blanket slid off her body, and very little light was leaking from a boarded window.

Where am I?

Irene scanned the room she was in. It seemed that she was in a bedroom. In the dim light available, she could make out a bed, a bedside stand, and a broken old lamp in the corner.

She needed light.

Irene shivered when she left the warmth of the blanket. It was very cold in here.

Carefully and quietly, she crawled around the floor looking for something that might provide light.

She rummaged in the drawer of the bedside stand and found a box of matches.

There was a lamp on the other side of the room, and she struck a match before lighting it.

It was better than nothing.

Now she could see better.

And she could see that the place was very old.

How did I even get here?

“Awake, human?”

Irene cried out and scooted away from the light. She turned to find another girl in the room with her. She had long dark hair, and bangs that covered her forehead. Her body was clad in a dark long sleeve shirt that appeared to be worn, and pants.

She was barefoot.

The scariest part was her glowing green pupils.

“W-who are you?” Irene demanded nervously. “Why am I here?”

The girl leaned down on all fours and crept towards her slowly. She made sounds like an animal scenting the air.

“Why did you trespass?” the girl hissed and it sounded very familiar.

Irene suddenly remembered the walk, and the shadow, and how Bogum tried to make it go away, and then the shadow attacked Bogum, and then she fell…

“I…I didn’t!” Irene said in defense. “He took me to stroll along the walk, but I didn’t know you were…”

The girl was touching her leg and feeling up to her kneecap.

“Y-YAH!” She kicked her in the face. “DON’T TOUCH ME!”

Irene heard growling as the mysterious girl flinched away from her. Frightened, she moved away to the other side of the room while the other nursed herself.

“What happened to Bogum? Did you kill him?” Irene cried. What if I die?

The girl began to chuckle, and then she turned back to the woman. “So what? Seungwan does not always get to have this much fun.”

Seungwan?

Who was Seungwan?

“The night gets lonely,” the girl continued. “Not often do stupid visitors come to meet their fate!” She leapt, but in the wrong direction and fell splat on the floor next to Irene.

This left her very confused.

If the girl were going to kill Irene, shouldn’t she be less clumsy in order to commit the deed?

“Seungwan is hurt…”

Perhaps this girl was referring to herself in the third person. It was kind of cute but also a little weird. Seungwan appeared to be at least a few years younger than Irene. Why was she talking so weird, and why was she here alone in the dark?

Irene suddenly realized this was her chance to make a break for freedom. She grabbed the nearest thing, which was an old bottle to bash against the girl’s head…

But she couldn’t do it.

“Human, stay still so Seungwan can play with you!”

This time, the girl was barreling towards her, and Joohyun screamed and shut her eyes as she swung the glass bottle at Seungwan’s head.

She heard breaking glass, and then a thud as the girl’s body crumpled to the floor.

\--

A/N:

Not really sure how this is going to unfold, but I'll be working on it.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!

<3


	2. Chapter 2

Irene gaped at the fallen form on the ground and the shattered remnants of the bottleneck in her hand, which she immediately dropped.

H-how could I…

Fear gripped her chest. What if I killed her?

She shook her head. It wasn’t time to worry about someone who could potentially become her murderer. There was not much time in case the girl might wake soon. Whatever this Seungwan was, she was not completely human, and Irene didn’t want to wait for trouble.

Quickly, she rummaged around the room again, opening drawers, and cautiously checking the closets.

Everything here was old.

She opened another door to find that it led to another room, a study room it seemed. There were shelves lined with dust and cobwebs in every corner.

The desk didn’t seem to have much, but the closet in the corner seemed promising. Irene pushed aside a chest that appeared to be heavy, but was actually easy to move. When she opend the door, she was rewarded to find just what she needed.

Rope.

Irene returned to the room relieved to find that Seungwan was still knocked out. She uncoiled the long rope, hoping with all her heart that the girl would not wake up before she was done.

I don’t even know how to do this…

She turned the girl onto her front, took her wrists, and began to bind them with the rope a couple times before tying it off with a knot. Then, she wrapped the rope around her body to keep her from being able to move her arms, and used the rest to tie her ankles together.

Irene turned the girl on her side and semi-admired her handiwork. This made her feel guilty, but this was the only to keep from getting attacked by the crazy girl.

Better than nothing…

Suddenly, Seungwan's eyes snapped open and she jerked forward to bite Irene’s hand.

“Human, release me at once!” she growled and tried to bite her.

Seungwan wriggled around trying to free herself, but was ultimately unable to do so. “Evil human! I will kill you if you don’t free me!”

Irene stood up. “Goodbye.”

“Hey! Come back!”

She ignored her and was about to walk out until she realized that it was possible for the girl to eventually break free. There had to be a way to delay Seungwan’s pursuit so that Irene had enough time to get out of the forest.

Hopefully they weren’t too far from the road.

“What are you doing?” Seungwan demanded while Irene rummaged for something that would help.

Today must have been her lucky day. There was a key in the bedside table drawer. She hoped it was the one for the room.

“Human, don’t go!!”

Irene ignored her cries as she shut the door and slipped the key into the lock. Please, please, please be the one…

As if in answer, the key turned in the lock.

She sighed in relief and pocketed the key. Safe for the time being.

“Human, come back!” Seungwan began to wail. “Don’t leave Seungwan alone!”

Irene turned away from her calls and hurried down the darkened hallways. She wished she had taken the lantern with her, but it was too late to turn back now.

It was pretty empty around the place anyway. A big house for just one person…

Irene found the staircase leading downwards discovering a hatch well concealed in the darkness. She glanced behind her; Seungwan’s cries were just as loud as they were when she was still in the room with her.

Irene tugged on the heavy door until it slammed open. The staircase extended downwards, and she carefully but quickly descended.

The front door was barricaded with wooden planks. Irene scoured the area for any escape, but every type of opening was well covered with planks.

It seemed this place was well defended as if someone did not want anyone to come inside or escape.

Irene went to the backroom to find that it was the same way.

How was Seungwan able to get inside?

She searched the wall for any secret door, and found a small chest randomly placed underneath the window. Moving it aside, Irene found that it was the entrance to the place and she crawled through. It was all tall grass surrounding the house.

And it was also dark here, but looking up at the treetops, Irene could see the light trying to penetrate through the thick canopy.

She scanned the place. There was a big waterfall lake here behind the house. This must be what was making the place cold, she thought as the water sprinkled her lightly. Besides, that, the forest was quite dark as it was sheltered from the sun.

This was no time to be admiring the scenery! Irene hurried away from the house, picking up her skirt to keep from catching onto anything prickly.

Irene was beginning to think this was a bad idea, because she couldn’t see any sign of the road, and she was very lost here.

It seemed as if there was no way out of this cold dark place.

Slowly, she stepped through some brush, but the ground disappeared beneath her feet and she rolled down into a ravine.

On the way down, something sharp punctured and slashed her arm, and dirt plastered over her from head to toe.

Irene inspected the damage and picked herself up. It was too cold here for her to feel the pain right now. However, blood was dripping from her wound.

She followed the path, which led upwards. Her feet kept sinking into the soil making it difficult for her to climb up.

The ground was very damp and soft. It was no wonder the plants were thriving here so wonderfully.

After a scrambling struggle, Irene treaded through some more undergrowth only to become just as lost as she was before.

“You have made Seungwan very angry.”

Irene gasped and whirled around to find the crazy girl standing behind her.

“You do not want to make Seungwan angry!” the girl snarled viciously and leapt at her.

Irene narrowly dodged the attack and scrabbled away from her. “I just want to go home!” she cried. “Please just let me go!”

“Seungwan might have wanted to,” the girl growled. “But the human has made a very, very bad decision.”

Irene gulped and started to make a run for her life.

“Human!” Seungwan’s voice suddenly became singsong and creepy. “If you run away, I will find you! But if you insist, then Seungwan is very happy to play!”

Irene ran, but the skirt was getting in the way. She wished she were wearing pants, or shorts right now, and better shoes.

Flats were no good for running.

“Gotcha!” Seungwan appeared in front of her wearing the scariest grin Irene had ever seen. “Seungwan has won the game…too bad we couldn’t play more, human.” She sniggered and began to walk toward Irene, but tripped on a root causing her to face plant into the soil.

Irene moved away from her, while she lay there completely still as if she were dead. This girl was really weird—crazy actually. Her mood swings were very extreme.

And her behavior was very animal-like.

“Blood…” she heard the girl hiss from behind her. “Human, are you hurt?”

Irene did not answer as she watched the girl crawl out from where she fell. The girl sniffed around like a dog. “This is no good. Human, you must come back with me!”

The woman fled from here, very aware that Seungwan was on her tail.

“It is dangerous to spill blood here, human! Stop!”

There was a loud roar from the darkness before them, and Irene did stop. The girl crashed into her back and fell onto her backside.

“We have to go!” Seungwan sounded scared now.

Irene was about to question her, but a big angry black red-eyed bear appeared standing on its hind legs and roaring at them. Then, it pounded down onto all fours, shaking the earth. It growled and snorted.

“Human, you have angered the b-b-bear…”

“That’s no bear!” she whimpered. “It’s…it’s a monster!”

The bear charged at them. Irene felt herself getting flung aside, and she barely saw Seungwan as she attacked the beast. The girl was very fast, confusing the opponent and landing swipes that sounded painful for both the bear and the girl. With every ripping noise, Irene was sure that the girl's claws would tear out of her hands.

Finally, the bear roared and managed to smash the girl against a tree trunk.

Seungwan howled in pain, but narrowly escaped a deadly bash to the head. She went in and slashed at its belly with the sharpest claws Irene had ever scene.

The bear had enough. It retreated back to the darkness but cast one last glance with a growl to warm them not to come back.

Irene glanced at Seungwan and was shocked to see how her features had changed. Her fangs were retreating back to regular canines, and her claws were retracting to nails.

This time, she also noticed that the girl’s eyes were now changing to brown color—which could fool anyone into thinking that this girl was human.

“Y-you fought that…” she breathed.

Seungwan picked her way towards her, but tripped again and fell onto the space beside Irene.

She immediately popped back up again anger clear in her eyes. “Don’t ever do that again!” she scolded. “You are trespassing other territory!”

“W-what?”

“Humph! Stupid human! I am too angry and tired to even want to take you back!” she stomped away. “Anyway, you would tell your human friends and they will come to kill Seungwan.”

Irene was hesitant to follow her. Maybe she could still find a way out, but if there were other beasts like that abnormal bear, then she didn’t really want to find out.

“If you run, Seungwan will find you, and then Seungwan will kill you too.”

Irene got up. “If you are going to kill me, why don’t you do it now?”

Suddenly, she was on the ground with Seungwan on top of her back. “Do you have a death wish, human?”

“Stop threatening me so emptily!” she grimaced as the girl tugged back on her arm.

“But Seungwan still wants to play with you~”

“Ugh, let me go!”

The other girl sniffed and got off. She grabbed Irene’s arm and led her back to the dark house.

“You nosy, nosy human. Snooping around without my permission…” She shoved her past the house and to a path Irene hadn’t seen before. They were going to a river.

“Go clean yourself up,” Seungwan said. “I’m going to wash too.”

“W-what?” Irene touched the water. “It’s cold!”

“Better than nothing, human. Now strip and clean up!”

This girl was so…so lewd.

“Don’t look!” Irene said firmly as she began to unbutton her shirt. It didn’t seem like there was running water in the house so this was probably all they had. At least the place was concealed in the forest. The only bad part was that the crazy girl was here.

“I won’t.” The girl was already topless and pulling off her pants.

Irene quickly stripped and set her clothes close by before stepping in. It was so cold! She splashed in and shivered, hugging her arms over her chest to conceal it in case Seungwan was watching.

The water was rushing, so that helped to clean off the dirt. Quickly, she cupped some in her hands and washed her face.

Irene was getting used to the temperature, and it was actually relaxing after the scary experience just now.

She shut her eyes for a few moments, but then felt unwanted presence.

“YAH!” she smacked Seungwan in the face.

“HUMAN! THAT HURT!” the girl whined.

“I told you not to look!” Irene snapped.

“I’m not!”

“Then go away from me!”

The girl growled in annoyance and grabbed her arm. This time, Irene let out a cry of pain as it was the wounded arm from her fall. “D-don’t touch!”

The girl scented all along her wound, and to Irene’s horror, began licking it like an animal.

“What are you? A vampire!?” she yanked her arm away.

“I’m healing it for you!” the girl snapped and leapt on Irene in the water. “Let me lick it!”

“No, you creep!”

They splashed around in the river, one fighting to escape, and the other trying to get to the arm.

Finally, Irene pushed her off and climbed out of the river. She used her jacket to dry off and quickly pulled on her clothes.

Ugh. She didn’t have a change of clothes either…

“Human, get back in here now!” Seungwan demanded.

“I was finished,” Irene replied.

“No, you’re not!” the latter complained. “I’m trying to help you!”

Irene gave her a weird look, which the girl seemed not to notice. And she turned away to head back to the house.

Seungwan came back within moments since Irene returned, but she was fuming. “Human, never go outside like that again! I hate the sun!”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s not dark enough outside!”

“Then why did you even come out?” Irene snapped.

“Because you’re my prisoner! And I didn’t want you to dirty my floors!”

Irene watched the girl clumsily feeling for the bookshelf. Once she found it, she carefully moved it, touching the wall at the same time before making sure the hole was completely covered.

Something was weird.

The girl acted like she could see when she was hunting her down.

But now, it seemed that she couldn’t see.

Seungwan stepped towards her, and Irene slid an empty carton before her. The girl tripped on it as she suspected.

It seemed that Seungwan was blind…but how could she see Irene or detect her whereabouts?

Or maybe she wasn’t seeing, and was using other senses.

But Seungwan couldn’t have the senses of an animal could she?

“Human, you put that there!” Seungwan complained.

Irene leaned down and picked up the girl from the shoulder of her shirt until she was dangling. At least she had the advantage of height, and sight.

“You are blind, aren’t you, Seungwan?”

“What? Who told you that?” the girl swiped at her, but Irene held her farther from her so that she couldn’t. Seungwan was surprisingly light.

“No one. I figured it out myself.”  
“Humph!”

“Now don’t you think I have the upperhand since I can see and you can’t?” Irene put her back down.

“And I know every part of the forest while you don’t!” the other girl retorted. “And Seungwan won’t even help you!”

Irene sighed and turned away from her. “You’re right.” She walked to the front room and sat down on the sofa, which was surprisingly clean and comfortable.

“Where are you going?” the girl was following her.

“To sleep.”

When Irene woke up, a blanket was covering her again. She felt well rested, and she didn’t feel pain from her wounded arm at all.

But when she inspected her arm, it was all healed. Strange…

Sighing, she drifted back off to sleep again.

Then Irene heard a noise closeby. She turned and saw the doorway to the kitchen, which was obviously unused and useless since there were no utilities in the house.

She saw Seungwan’s silhouette, and watched her empty something into a basket. The girl then began to approach, but unaware that Irene was awake. She settled on the floor beside the sofa where Irene was resting and curled up into a ball like a dog.

It was very dark in here. Light was no longer spilling through the cracks so it must be dark out.

“Seungwan.”

“Hmngghg…what do you want? I’m sleepy.”

“Where did you go?”

“To get food for you.”

“Oh.”

There was a slight pause before Seungwan spoke again. “Do you want some?”

“No.”

“Hmph! I’m trying to be nice—“

Irene punched her in the head, but it hurt her knuckles a lot.

“OWWWWW!” Seungwan rolled around on the floor in pain. “I’M TRYING TO BE NICE! HUMAN, STOP HURTING SEUNGWAN!”

“This is my game!” Irene snapped at her. “You have the lowest pain tolerance I’ve ever seen!”

The girl whimpered. “Not fair…”

“Let me go to sleep,” Irene muttered and turned her back on her.

“You’re the one punching a poor little Seungwan…”

It finally quieted down, and Irene was left to her own thoughts without the crazy girl interfering.

She wondered if her parents were worried and searching for her.

Was Bogum ok? She didn’t like him romantically, but she wouldn’t want him to be dead…which brought up the question.

Did Seungwan kill him or not? The girl never did answer the question directly.

With the way she was acting, it didn’t seem to be impossible that Seungwan would kill someone in cold blood.

But why didn’t Seungwan kill her yet?

\--

Mr. Bae worriedly stayed up into the night with a cup of coffee.

“Honey, aren’t you tired?”

“I am afraid for Irene. She is not strong enough to be out alone if she is still alive. Where is she? Who is holding her hostage? Is she lost?”  
“Dear, the police are investigating the area. They’ll help us.”

“If she is dead, then there was no point…”

“At least we can see her one last time.”

“I want her to be alive!” he cried. “That stupid boy shouldn’t have taken her so far away.”

Mrs. Bae was saddened too. “It…it wasn’t his fault…It was only a date.”

Her husband sighed heavily and shook his head. “She is our only daughter. Perhaps this is a sign that this marriage isn’t meant to be…”

\--

Irene yawned and stretched feeling much more refreshed. The light was filtering through the small spaces in the boarded windows, but not enough to reach all of the room.

She sighed and sat up.

Where was Seungwan?

Unfortunately, she forgot the girl was sleeping on the floor and stepped on her.

Seungwan wailed and Irene fell down due to surprise and because she was trying to stop herself even though it was too late.

“HUMAN, YOU KEEP ON HURTING MEEEE!!!!”

\--


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re sleeping where anyone can step on you!” Irene scolded her.

Seungwan leapt onto Irene’s previous spot. “You were hogging the warmest place!”

Irene face palmed. “It’s because I was sleeping there.”

The other girl yawned and sat up blinking the sleepiness from her eyes. “Where are you going?”

“Somewhere else.”

“NO!” Faster than the blink of an eye, Seungwan was already standing in Irene’s way. “Human, you are forbidden to leave Seungwan’s home!”

“I never said I was leaving.”

“But you could! You will! You will trick Seungwan and abandon Seungwan and bring your friends back to kill Seungwan!”

“Why would I go back if I don’t know the way out?” Irene replied. She suddenly realized that the time spent with Seungwan was the first time she ever fought back. Always she would listen to her parents and make sure not to make other people upset. She always did what her parents needed her to do because that was what she was taught to do.

Irene didn’t even know that she could talk so strongly before.

“Hah! You’re right! And I’m not showing you!” Seungwan cackled. “You’re trapped with Seungwan forever, human. Hehehehehe!”

The older woman sighed and shook her head. This girl really was cuckoo in the head.

Her stomach decided to humiliate her and growl really loudly.

“Hungry human, aren’t you?” Seungwan said. “Don’t worry, I have tasty food to fatten you up. Maybe I can eat you later! HAHA—“

Irene grabbed her by her shirt collar. “Do you want to play my game again? Shall I see if your pain tolerance levels have risen?”

“No! NO! NO!” The smaller girl shook her head furiously. “I’m sorry! Seungwan is sorry, human!” She began to shed tears leaving Irene shocked at the outcome.

“D-don’t cry…” she awkwardly pat Seungwan’s head.

But it turned out to be only a façade. The crazy girl laughed triumphantly as she pinned Irene down to the floor. “I practiced really hard on my fake tears!” she exclaimed and grinned maniacally. “It was effective, wasn’t it, human?” Seungwan leaned down until her nose was brushing Irene’s. “Let’s play another game!”  
Oh my god…

“I’m hungry, Seungwan.”

“Hungry?” she echoed as if she never heard the word before—even though she already use the word only seconds ago. “Oh, hehehe, silly me~” She got off Irene and hurried off to the kitchen. When she returned, there was a huge blue apple in her hands, which she held out excitedly to Irene.

“But first play with Seungwan!” the girl cried before Irene could take it and thank her for once.

Irene groaned and fell flat on her back again. “What is it with you and playing?”

“Seungwan is so lonely…” her tone changed. Her voice was softer and sounded sad, in contrast to her usual maniacal self. “Always alone in the dark, nobody to play with…”

The girl broke the big blue apple in two equal halves and gave one to Irene. “It’s yummy.”

Irene stared at the familiar yet foreign fruit. The inside was juicy like a ripe peach, and there were no seeds.

“What are you waiting for?” Seungwan suddenly snapped, returning to her normal self. “Eat it!”

Irene took it, but glared at her even though she knew the girl could not see it. “Thanks,” she said grudgingly.

The girl sniffed and turned away to eat her half of the fruit.

The weird apple was surprisingly delicious. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what to expect from it, but the sweetness satisfied her taste buds and it was actually filling. Irene wondered where Seungwan found this, but she didn’t think the girl was too keen on answering her questions anyway.

Irene was in a dressing room assisted by Sunny. She wore a big white wedding dress that looked like it could swallow anyone it touched.

Shouldn’t I not be here? She was pretty sure that she was supposed to be trapped in a dark forest with a crazy girl.

“Sunny-unnie, where are we?”

“We are in the dressing rooms at the church, Miss Irene,” the maid replied while fixing her hair to accommodate the veil.

“B-but…what about Seungwan?” she blurted out.

Before her long time caretaker could answer, Mrs. Bae burst into the room gushing like oozing honey. “Oh, dear, you look so beautiful! We have been waiting for this day for so long!”

Irene was confused and uneasy about this situation. Married so fast? She didn’t even know Bogum well enough.

But she forgot that this was an arranged marriage so that was accounted for in this agreement at all.

“I think Miss Irene is ill, Madame Bae,” Sunny announced.

“Oh on a special day? It must be the butterflies in your tummy!”

With no space to say anything against this marriage, Irene followed them into the main lobby. Everyone else was inside the church awaiting their arrival. Her father smiled warmly at her, and it almost made her feel like this was ok.

Then the doors swung wide open, the organ playing the traditional wedding song, and all stood up to respect her appearance.

“Ready, sweetheart?” Her father offered his arm for her to link to.

There was no choice. She could only smile and accept it because she should not disgrace her family.

What happened to Seungwan? Was it all a dream? Am I really home and following through with this?  
Bogum grinned at her—the same way he did when they first met. Though she was not attracted to him, she had to admit that he looked great in a tuxedo.

The minister began to say the speech that would forever join couples together until death do them part (or until divorce).

While that was happening, Irene was still trying to process everything. It was so quiet, only the sound of the minister boomed in the whole place. Bogum was holding her hand, but it was so cold. She looked out over the attendees, but found that all pews were empty.

The place was dark now.

When she turned back to Bogum, he smiled at her. “I love moonlit walks, don’t you?”

“Um..uh…I…”

“Is something wrong, honey?”  
Her eyes widened in shock.

“We’re married now.”

“W-w-wait…I want to see my parents…”

“We’re going on honeymoon to a beautiful place in the states.” He was leaning down closer to kiss her.

She shut her eyes anticipating the unwanted kiss, but he was suddenly gone.

“Human…for as long as you are alive, I will hunt you down!”

Irene shrieked, her legs becoming jelly as she fell to the floor. Seungwan was going to kill…

But she saw the shadow on top of a listless Bogum.

The girl slowly turned to her, her hair mussed up, eyes glowing green, and wearing the scariest grin on her face.

Irene immediately woke up short of breath and sweating. It was so dark in here…

“Just a dream,” she whispered to herself.

“Human!” Seungwan leaped on the bed. “You are awake!”

Irene stared at the girl blankly as she was trying to recover from the disturbing dream.

“Human? Why are you not answering Seungwan?” the girl sounded more curious than concerned, tilting her head to one side. “Are you still hungry?”

“N-no…no, I’m fine.”

How odd…Why am I relieved to be here instead of there?

I’m a prisoner here.

But as long as you are here, you won’t have to go through with the marriage.

What about your parents?

During the internal argument, Irene barely noticed that Seungwan had moved and was sitting right next to her.

Click!

Irene felt cold metal around her wrist. Before she could even react, Seungwan suddenly pulled her back and chained her to one of the columns on the headboard.

“You are never leaving Seungwan, human!” she declared proudly. “We will play together lots and be happy!”

“Seungwan, what the heck?” Irene burst out tugging fruitlessly at the handcuff.

The younger girl straddled her grinning like a mad person. “Seungwan will have so much fun with you, human. Hehehehehe!”

“Hey! Don’t you dare!” Irene wriggled around trying to dismount her, but Seungwan remained unfazed.

The girl continued to laugh crazily her sightless brown eyes twinkling like a puppy with a new toy. “What should we do first, human, hm?” she let her hand wander on Irene’s waist.

Irene gaped at her. She’s going to feel up on me!

It was a good thing that Seungwan did not bind both her wrists in cuffs because she still had a free arm, her dominant arm too. While the girl was distracted with Irene’s torso, Irene raised her hand and smacked the girl across the face.

“OWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!” There was a red hand mark on Seungwan’s cheek, Irene’s deathly blow. “Human,” she sobbed. “I wanted to play, but you keep on hurting me…”

“Stop acting creepy!” Irene hissed at her. “And let me go! I won’t run away, just let me go! Please!”

The girl suddenly stopped crying. “Will you do anything I want?”

Irene paused. “Y-yeah…”

“Then you will remain this way. Either way, you cannot run, and you said you will do anything Seungwan likes!” she hopped off the bed. “Nighty night, human! Seungwan will bring you a present for being a good, good prisoner!”

And she ran off in a scarily happy mood.

Just my luck…Irene raised up her cuffed hand and let it flop down. The girl may be crazy, but she was quite sneaky and smart.

She experimentally tried to open it, but it turned out to need a key.

Did Seungwan even have the key, or did she find it randomly?

\--

Seungwan scented the air as she walked out in the forest. The sweet scents of her garden wafted into her nostrils and she followed the trail. In her darkness, she detected life from her precious plants. These were the only source of nutrition to support her broken system.

Unfortunately, she had no memory of her life before she ended up here. All Seungwan knew was that this dark place was her home, and she disliked the sunlight.

Scenting furiously, Seungwan knelt on the ground to check on her garden. These plants replenished everyday so she was guaranteed a meal all the time. Plus, she never had to worry about watering them because the soil’s nutrient content in this forest was so rich.

She wondered if her new human was hungry. One of these fruits was supposed to last all day, but Seungwan wasn’t sure if humans’ metabolisms were not like hers. She seldom got hungry, but she still ate one everyday for extra energy boost.

Truthfully, she had never encountered a human in her memory, nor did she kidnap one until now.

Her new human prisoner was a girl, and Seungwan was surprised by the strength of her punches. She thought male humans were much stronger, but this human was really scarily painfully strong in her opinion.

And the human played weird games too. Seungwan never heard of games involving comparing pain tolerances.

She shivered upon remembering the numerous times the human punched her.

But she just wanted to hear the human talk.

She liked the sound of her voice.

It was different, and pretty, and gentle when she wasn’t getting mad.

Seungwan wondered if the human might like to stay with her. It wouldn’t be so bad once she got used to it…but Seungwan thought that the she might run off and bring back more human friends to hunt her down.

What to bring back for the human? She climbed up a tall tree and rested on a branch. The night air was sweet, and cold just the way she liked it.

She hopped back down and snuffled through her garden searching for rich ripe life that indicated something could be harvested.

Seungwan wanted to win the human’s trust and once she was sure that the human wouldn’t run away, they could live happily ever after in this dark forest. All they needed were the shelter, the water, and these fruit. One of the things she found is that the fruit provided everything her body required so she never felt malnourished. There wasn’t any scientific evidence to prove it, but Seungwan had been feeding on the special produce for years and never had any ailments.

Would it have the same affects on a human as it did for her though?

She found a nice round fruit that smelled sweet. Ready to pick.

Maybe the human will like it.

Irene awoke again because her arm was twisted in a very uncomfortable position. Sleeping was difficult now that she was trapped like this. She tried to find a better way to lie down without disturbing her arm anymore.

There had to be a way to escape this, or maybe get Seungwan to take it off for her.

Slowly, Irene tried to sit up, but it was difficult because the length of the handcuff was short. She flopped onto her front heavily. There wasn’t enough leeway to move around.

That crafty Seungwan…

She glanced at the bedside stand to find a big round pink fruit sitting there.

Was this another one of Seungwan’s meals?

Irene looked around the room. Where was Seungwan anyway?

She looked down on the floor to find the girl curled up there…same situation as last time, but Irene wouldn’t be stepping on her today.

The woman watched her for a few moments, noticing how peaceful Seungwan’s expression appeared now that she was asleep. Her skin was paler than Irene’s, and her features were pretty defined. Irene wondered if it was due to the girl’s skinniness.

She lay back down on the bed and stared at the dark ceiling.

You win…Seungwan…


	4. Chapter 4

Bogum grimaced in pain as the nurse redressed his wounds. Every small movement hurt him. Whatever that thing was that attacked him, it knew just the right places that would hurt like hell.

He had been in the hospital for a few days now and just recently woke up yesterday. Unfortunately, he had arrived without Irene, who was now reported as a missing person. Security and authorities patrolled the place of their attack, but not a trace could be found of Irene or the attacker. 

Bogum wished he had gotten a better look at the cloaked figure. But it had been so dark. There was no way anyone would have detected the Pearson’s features. He only recalled its creepy voice and bright green eyes. 

The Bae family was currently caught up in grief. Bogum definitely heard someone (Mrs. Bae) screaming bloody murder to him from down the hallways but Irene’s family did not visit him once. 

As the nurse finished up, the door opened to reveal a very angry Mr. Park, his father. 

Bogum took his time with the painkiller and water. 

Once the nurse exited, Bogum’s father locked the door to prevent any interruption. “You failed me, son,” he growled. 

“We were attacked,” Bogum retorted. “How was I supposed to go through?”

Mr. Park scoffed. “The plan was you take her on a date and kill her! We really need this deal! I can’t let my company fall down like this!” He paced his footsteps loud against the tiled floor. 

“Father, maybe we should draw out of the company with what we have and start over,” Bogum suggested. “We’ve already damaged them enough.”

Mr. Park was enraged at the suggestion. “Everyone knows the Bae family is one of the wealthiest in town. We can’t let this opportunity slip from us.”

“Father don’t make my hands stain with blood for your sake!” Bogum cried out. “I’m your son!”

“And you will do what I say!” Mr. Park snarled. “If you had killed the girl, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“How do we know she isn’t already dead?” Bogum choked. He did like Irene as a person. She was so dainty and small, a beautiful porcelain work of art that needed to be protected. There was no way she would be able to brave the danger of that nasty green eyed creature. 

Mr. Park gave him a dangerous look. “Interesting point.”

Bogum gulped wishing he hadn’t said anything. Irene’s family needed to be warned about his father's treacherous plans. They were in danger, and so was Irene if she was still alive, wherever she may be. 

Mr. Park continued to plan out the next course of action while Bogum’s brain became a fast track factory of how to carry out his own plan. Would the Bae family even trust him? After all, he had "lost" their daughter.

Finally, his father left the room and a nurse came to bring some nourishment. 

Fuck me, Bogum thought to himself as the nurse helped cut the meat into smaller chunks. 

—

Irene awoke in darkness. She wasn’t sure anymore since the waking world of this mysterious forest matched that of the sleeping world. If only this situation could be a dream. In the next few minutes, she might wake up in her bedroom with Yeri complaining about having to act proper and lady like. 

But the ache in her wrist reminded her that she was definitely awake. The handcuff rubbed her flesh uncomfortably while she had been sleeping and her arm was becoming numb. 

Irene managed to sit up without disturbing her cuffed arm. She adjusted to the darkness, beginning to notice the thin slits of moonlight peering through the boarded windows. 

It was so quiet, Irene could hear her heart beating in her chest. She had never experienced this type of silence before. Not even in the dead of night at home. 

Out here, it was completely devoid of any human contact. 

Joohyun remembered trying to escape, how fast the forest was. She hadn’t seen anything familiar. No road. No trail that would lead back to civilization. It was all nature and darkness. 

She heard a soft moan below her, and she already knew who it was before the owner of the noise popped up like a spring. 

“Human! You are awake!” Seungwan exclaimed. The bed bounced as she leapt onto Irene’s legs. “How did you like it? Did you sleep well?”

Joohyun curled her lip in annoyance. “How can I sleep well when you tie me up?” She said irritably. 

“But human, I can’t let you escape.” Seungwan sounded so innocent. “You will trick Seungwan again and bring your friends to kill Seungwan!” She shivered visibly and suddenly bowled Irene over leaving her winded on her back. “Besides, Seungwan takes better care of her pets than humans!” 

PET?! Irene became filled with rage and she dealt a good blow across Seungwan’s cheek. A new bruise pulsated with agony in the shape of her fist. “I AM NOT YOUR PET!” Irene howled and sent Seungwan flying off the bed from the impact of her loud voice. “Let me go now! I’m going to hit you again!”

Seungwan whimpered on the floor curling up like a dog. “I’m sorry...Seungwan is sorry...”

Irene tugged on the handcuff, desperate to get it off her. On the third try, she pulled so hard that the chain link became undone and she was free. 

“Noooooooooooooo!” Seungwan moaned. “NooooooooooooooOoOoOoOOOOOOOOOOOooooo!”

Irene gave the girl a weird look before sifting through the drawers on the beside for the key to unlock the cuff from her hand. Her fingers reached a key ring and she went through all of them before finding the right one. Lucky save again, she thought. The house was big. Things could get misplaced easily. 

Seungwan scampered away into the shadows. “Human, don’t hurt Seungwan!” She wailed. 

“Come out!” Irene snapped. “Explain yourself to me right now! Why have you brought me here? And who are you?”

Seungwan suddenly leapt at her from the shadows, but Irene managed to dodge just in time. Unfortunately, one of Seungwan’s claws had caught onto her skirt, ripping the bottom just slightly. 

“Play with me!” Seungwan crouched on the floor like a cat sizing up its target. 

Irene groaned in annoyance. The girl had a very short attention span. “Yes!” She cried out. “With my fist!”

Seungwan gasped loudly and cowered on the floor again covering her head with her hands. “Not that one!”

Irene felt triumphant for a little bit. She had a slight upper hand over this girl as long as she somehow remained on top. But it seemed like getting Seungwan to cooperate wouldn’t be possible especially with how easily she became distracted. 

“Seungwan, what do you want to play?” Joohyun asked while heading over to the basket of strange fruits. A plan began to formulate in her mind. If she could somehow make the girl trade off information for something she liked...

The girl perked up instantly and followed Irene. “You will play with me?” 

Irene picked up a branch with what seemed to be clusters of large grapes but they looked like small sparkling planets instead of the normal green and red fruits. “Tell me.”

Seungwan suddenly leapt on Irene and noisily sniffed the air like a tracking dog. “Hunting.” Her nails extended into sharp claws and she licked them much like a cat would. 

Slightly creeped out and extremely grossed out, Irene smacked the girl’s shoulder. Seungwan whimpered again but snatched the mutant grape branch from her. “Mine.” She hugged it possessively. 

Irene sighed in exasperation. This was getting nowhere. She thought that appealing to the girl’s interests would help, but it backfired quickly. “Aish, go play. I’m tired.”

“But you said you will play with Seungwan!” 

Irene ignored her. 

The girl suddenly appeared at her side nudging her arm with one hand. “Please play with Seungwan?” She offered the grape branch to Irene as if an offering. 

Joohyun studied her suspiciously. The sudden gentleness usually meant that an obnoxious burst of energy was yet to happen. Deciding not to fall for the latter’s tricks and antics, she pushed the branch away. 

“Seungwan was being nice!” Seungwan complained. “Do you hate Seungwan?” She sniffled and sobbed on the floor clutching the branch like a teddy bear. 

Irene instantly felt bad, but remembered the fake tears from last time. Was this another trick? 

“Seungwan, you can’t expect me to trust you,” Irene said instead. “You have taken me against my will, and killed my friend.” She remembered Bogum’s screams and the pooling blood before she passed out from the scare. 

“He is a dangerous man!” Seungwan suddenly spat. “I smelled it on him!”

“No. You were needlessly attacking innocent people,” Irene countered. “We were not doing anything to hurt you, yet you came to “play”.”

“Human! Listen! He had a gun!” Seungwan protested, the grape branch and their previous topic forgotten. She leapt to her feet and towered over Irene. Her sightless eyes were round with fear. “Seungwan hates guns!”

Irene watched her in confusion and shock. “A gun? Why would he have one?”

Seungwan leaped onto the sofa and curled up into the soft cushions as if to comfort herself. “Guns are only for killing.”

“So you attacked us because he had a gun. Why didn’t you leave me with him?” Irene demanded. 

“Dangerous. Too dangerous.” The girl shook her head repeating the same word over again. 

It seemed that Seungwan was now out of commission. She was lost in her own thoughts about something ‘dangerous’ and did not pay attention to Irene anymore. 

Irene still managed to get just a fraction of what she needed to know out of the girl. But she wondered how much of it was true. Seungwan did not quite strike her as a trustworthy person or creature—whatever she was. Why would Bogum carry a gun with him? 

She remembered how dark and empty the street had been when they arrived to the location of the date. Now going back to it, the planned meeting seemed to be quite weird. It had been quiet with not a single person in sight. Anything could happen and no one would know about it. 

But that didn’t explain the gun. Maybe it was just for self defense? Irene couldn’t remember if there were any restrictions on carrying guns among residences. She was pretty sure carrying one in public was not legal though. . 

When she finally turned back to Seungwan, the girl was no longer on the chair. Instead, she was circling around Irene curiously and appearing to scent her.

“What?” Irene moved away from her. 

“You need a wash.”

“Hey!” She clutched onto herself embarrassment rising to her cheeks. “It’s not my fault you took me here! I don’t have any other clothes!”

Irene also didn’t want to freeze in the river again. The water was too cold compared to the warm baths at home. “You don’t look so good yourself!” She added crossly. 

Seungwan’s hair was matted and tangled. But the girl never did have to look good for anything, Joohyun reminded herself. They were in the middle of nowhere. 

Irene stood in the river shivering and trying to maintain her internal body warmth. There was no sun to warm her. Only the moon hung above them, the stars twinkling coldly. 

She didn’t like being so deep in the water but she didn’t want her chest to be out in the open for anyone to see. Seungwan was blind, but it still felt uncomfortable. 

The other girl was a few feet away ducking under the water every now and then. 

Irene wished she had soap and shampoo, maybe some lotion. The cold water wasn’t enough for bodily hygiene. If anyone saw her now, they would never believe that she was the eldest daughter of the Bae family. 

She missed having a comfortable home, a place to eat and sleep. 

But she did not miss the business dinners and bachelors competing for her hand. 

Droplets of water against her face broke away the memories. Irene wiped her face and glared at Seungwan. “What do you want?”

“Your hair won’t be clean if you stand like that.” Seungwan tugged her arm, but Irene slapped her hand off. 

“Don’t touch me!”

Seungwan growled like a dog and tackled her. Irene felt water and bubbles surrounding her body, and she flailed about searching for something to pull herself back to the surface. Finally she found her footing and her head broke the surface, water running over her face. 

“Seungwan!” Irene coughed. “What was that for? I almost drowned!”

There was no sign of the other girl as she checked all sides of the river. Was this another game?

Irene moved further upriver where clumps of reeds surrounded the riverbank. A large stone slab sat on the damp soil. The reeds rustled behind her and Irene whirled around expecting Seungwan to be there with a maniacal grin. 

But it was the large head of a snake instead. 

Irene screamed and ducked as the reptilian animal lunged for her. She didn’t know where she was going as she paddled aimlessly under the water. When she resurfaced, she saw a flash of darkness fall upon the snake, growling and tearing away mercilessly at the giant slithering vermin. 

The snake hissed nastily as it struggled to keep up with Seungwan, but her speed overwhelmed its advantage as a larger enemy. Soon, it gave in to defeat and slumped over resembling nothing more than greasy rope. 

Irene shivered as part of the snake’s body bobbed in the river. She got out of the river forgetting that she was naked for a moment as the reeds scratched against her flesh lightly. 

“Human!” Seungwan suddenly appeared fully clothed in front of her. “Don’t ever do that again!”

“What? I didn’t do anything!”

“You smell delicious!” Seungwan spat again. “Everything wants to eat you!”

Irene was about to smack the girl again for saying that. The cold air reminded her about her bare body and she covered her chest with her arms. 

“Go get my clothes!” Irene shivered. 

“Tch! Go get it yourself!” The latter retorted. 

So Irene was forced to travel downriver to retrieve her clothes. She wished for fresh clothing again. 

This wasn’t the kind of life she would want forever. Seungwan had to let her go eventually. 

Maybe her family would send a search party for her? But days had passed since then...how long has it been? Irene had lost track of time since every waking moment was in darkness.

Didn’t anyone care?

Seungwan was waiting for her by the tall grass concealing the entrance. She seemed anxious and riled up about something. Maybe the snake. 

A sharp crack split the night causing Irene to flinch. The other girl became tense, her nose high up in the air as she took in scents of the forest. 

“Human go inside!” Seungwan hissed. “Don’t come out!”

Irene gave her a wary glance. What if her father had sent someone after all? This was her ticket back home.

And that was a pretty big if. 

“Human stop standing and get moving!” Seungwan yanked her into the tall grass. She half-dragged half-led the other woman back into the entrance practically stuffing her into the hole that would take them into the house. Once they were safely inside, Seungwan shoved the heavy bookshelf in front of the entrace and stomped over to Irene angrily. “Why didn’t you listen to me?” 

“Seungwan let me go!” Irene snapped. “I don’t want to be here!”

The girl’s eyes flashed green fixing her with a menacing glare. “Seungwan will kill you then.” 

Irene shoved the girl away scrambling backwards as she tried to get as far away as possible. She ran into one of the rooms trying to slam the door quickly but Seungwan slipped in and tackled her to the floor. 

“That was fun!” Seungwan beamed. “Fun fun fun!”

Why was it always like this?

Irene sighed heavily and jabbed the girl’s stomach with her knee. “Oof!” Seungwan wheezed and rolled off her. 

But she bounced back over and rubbed her face against Irene’s sleeve. 

“What are you doing?!” Irene demanded while moving her arm away. 

“Thank you for playing~” Seungwan leaned against her shoulder. 

There might have been a chance that Irene’s heart would soften towards her. She had never seen the wild girl act so soft like this. 

It might have been a trick. 

But no one would know. 

The ground shook beneath them as loud tearing and ear-splititng cracking noises sounded from outside. 

“W-what was that?” Irene whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

"Intruders!" Seungwan growled, her eyes flashing green in the darkness. She swiftly exited the room with a last warning that Irene needed to wait inside.

Irene had no intention to follow her. This forest was so mysterious and creepy. First Seungwan, then the everlasting darkness, then the big angry monster bear, the plants, the snake, and now earthquakes? She wasn't even sure if it was an earthquake. Besides the shaking ground, there had been loud tearing noises like tree roots ripping out of its place from the ground.

The place was quiet again save for the sound of her heart beating. She rubbed her arm that Seungwan had pressed against. That girl was so confusing. Sometimes she acted soft, and other times she a terrifying being. Irene remembered the way she viciously fought the bear and the snake, and how she licked her claws like a true wild animal. Her behavior resembled that of a wild wolf and cat. The girl truly was wild at heart, unpredictable and vicious.

But why hadn't Seungwan killed her yet? Irene dusted herself off and studied the room. There was nothing to look at. All the room were empty except for keys and spare equipment here and there.

Just as every window she had seen, all glass panes and openings were boarded shut.

How did Seungwan get here?

It wasn't possible that she just happened to come upon the place and claim it as her own. Irene spotted a small desk but it was hooded over with a locked cover. She hadn't seen one of these before. After dusting off the top with her sleeve, she discovered that the wood still appeared well-polished. Irene tried pulling up the cover, but as expected, it was locked.

The drawers were also locked as well, each one needing a key.

There had to be something important in the desk if it was so secure. Maybe there was something about Seungwan too.

Irene remembered the key ring from the other room that Seungwan held her captive. She set a brisk pace, the days she spent in this dark place already memorized wihtout having to see much. Her footsteps echoed in the darkness as she climbed the stairs and pushed open the door. The keyring was still where she left it, and she hurried back fueled by the mystery.

\--

Seungwan listened to the forest rustling around her. The wind had picked up, the branches above her creaking in the strong gusts. She listened again pressing close to the ground to feel for any intrusive footsteps. Another crack alerted her, and the girl shot up into one of the trees. She nimbly leapt from branch to branch in the direction of the noise. The stupid wind was getting in the way of her tracking senses.

As she grew closer to the source, the tree branches became thicker making it difficult to navigate. The forest had already detected the unwanted company and activated its protective barrier. Soon, Seungwan was forced to travel by ground. A bright light flashed in the jet black startling her slightly. She tasted the air, picking up a faint scent similar to the male human who had the gun.

Smirking to herself, Seungwan wrapped the dark cloak closer around her body and pulled the hood over her face.

"Time to play!" she hissed and rushed towards the activity.

Another loud roar shook the ground beneath Seungwan's feet causing her blood to run cold. She swiftly leapt over the gnarly tree roots and landed into the soft soil silently. This time, a human male shouted and a flurry of gun shots disturbed the once peaceful night.

They were attacking the bear! Seungwan bristled under her cloak as the men fired more shots at the lumbering animal it’s eyes red as blood.

They were trying to run away now as the large beast barreled towards them swiping at a few of the men to their deaths. 

Seungwan followed them fearing that they would venture deeper into the woods. The trees were creaking and groaning as the humans ran. The branches extended and whipped out barring the men from trespassing further. 

Finally, the sounds of the distressed cries diminished as they returned to where they came from. 

Seungwan scampered towards the edge of the forest making sure to steer clear of the bear. It’s heavy steps were still audible from somewhere to the side. The girl leapt onto the branches following the scents of the gunpowder and humans. 

They mounted their horses which were snorting irritably as if they too had been aware of the dangers of the forest. 

Some were complaining and others were doubtful about coming back. One voice, the leader probably, insisted to return. The group finally retreated on their horses into the night. 

Seungwan growled and dug her claws into the bark of the tree. “You return, Seungwan will gladly kill you. Hehehehe!”

—

None of the keys worked. 

They must only be for the rooms. 

Irene searched around the room for anything else that might be useful. There wasn’t a lot to work with as there was only a bed, a closet, and a dead lamp. 

Irene got onto her stomach and checked under the bed, but it was too dark to see. She reached her arm in only to get her sleeves all dusty. Disgusted, she patted it off and sat on the bed. I

Seungwan seemed to be taking her time now. Perhaps she had found something to play with outside. 

Irene flopped down onto the bed noting how hard the surface was. She shifted about trying to find a comfortable position to rest. 

After what felt like a few long seconds, she was about to drift off to sleep but she heard the sound of the heavy chest scraping against the floor in the other room. 

Seungwan was back. 

And staring at her from above with glowing green eyes. 

“GET OFF!” Irene cried but Seungwan pinned her down to the bed with brute strength that didn’t match her small size. “Seungwan please!”

Irene reprimanded herself for thinking about looking at Seungwan in a different light. 

Seungwan was nothing but a wild girl who woul eventually kill her. Right now Irene was simply a toy to her. 

“Beg all you want, human!” Seungwan grinned. “Seungwan owns you! Hahaha~”

Her hands wandered over Irene’s chest. “It’s squishy~”

Seungwan saw bright shining stars in her vision the moment Irene’s fist met her noggin. 

“OOOOOOW!” Seungwan rolled off to the side and curled into a ball of pain. 

“DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!” Irene howled and prodded her sharply with her feet for good measure. 

“That hurt!” The other girl whined and slid off the bed taking the sheets down with her. “Why do you keep hurting poor Seungwannie?”

The words remained unnoticed as Irene stared at the uncovered encasement that used to be the bed. 

A skeleton resembling a four legged canine lay preserved in the transparent casing. It’s jaws were wide open and empty sockets gaping in the dim light. 

Irene backed away screaming. 

—

Yeri sat alone in the rose garden behind the house. A large fish pond lay ahead pooling underneath a bridge and continuing to lead off elsewhere. She attempted to skid a few stones over the water surface but realized she didn’t get a good enough angle while sitting. 

A week had passed since her sister, Irene, disappeared. No trace of her had been left behind or found at the site where she was last scene. 

Only Bogum returned in his awful pitiful state. 

Ugh, she hated him now. What kind of person was he if he let this happen?

Everyone questioned why he took Irene so far away from town. 

But he couldn’t answer the question. No one was allowed to see him in the hospital. And no one wanted to see him. 

Except her mom. But Mrs. Bae wanted to see him dead. 

“Yeri!” The stablehand Jonghyun, was calling from the distance. “Come on! Your father has news!”

Yeri hopes it was good news. Despite of how distant they had become, she never wished any ill will towards her sister. Yeri understood that things would change eventually as Irene would have to marry soon, but it felt like everyone was only paying attention to Irene. 

And Irene seemed to have forgotten about her. 

Yeri shook away those bitter thoughts. Her sister had to be alive!

Unfortunately, all she saw were the men her father had hired to find Irene. Empty handed. 

“Nothing?” Mr. Bae said incredulously. 

“That forest is dangerous! I lost my men trying to find your daughter!” The lead man, Chen, said impatiently. 

“I am sorry for your loss. I will pay you back for each fallen man.”

“That’s not enough!” Chen spat. “It’s impossible to navigate that forest! It is haunted I tell you!”

All the men chorused in agreement. 

“Sorry Mr. Bae. But I can’t help you.” Chen stepped back. “I’ll take my payment now.”

So Yeri’s father grudgingly payed him and turned away defeatedly. 

Yeri sadly trudged back to Jonghyun who was fixing up equipment in the stables. 

“Still no sign of her.”

Jonghyun gave her a sympathetic look but there was nothing that could be said to alleviate the situation. 

No one knew what happened to Irene. Or whether she was dead or alive. 

“Come on. Help me turn out the horses,” he said instead. 

—

Irene stopped screaming when Seungwan covered her mouth with one hand. She glanced at Seungwan with wide frightened eyes, and her breaths ragged and shallow. 

“S-Seungwan do you see it?” Irene stammered. 

The girl’s eyes gleamed green in the dark as she crept over to the encasement to sniff it over. “Death!” She hissed drawing away from it with her lips drawn back in a snarl. 

A small golden glint caught Irene’s attention once Seungwan moved out of the way. She shakily walked towards it as if the skeleton might break out and lunge at her. Now that she was closer, a golden key peeked out between its jaws. 

Irene glanced back at the locked desk wondering it they were related to one another. 

A simple latch kept the encasement locked and Irene fumbled with it before the top creakily opened. 

It smelled disgusting. 

Even Seungwan pressed into the corner covering her nose with an arm. 

Irene gulped and held her breath as she reached into the skull’s jaw for the key. Slowly, she slid her slender fingers into the space and closed them around the cold metal. But on the way out, the key accidentally judged one of the teeth and the jaws snapped shut.

Irene screamed letting go of the top and falling to the floor. 

The transparent box slammed down sending dust flying across the room. 

Both of them coughed as the particles got into their eyes and nose. 

Huffing and choking, Irene fanned the air with one hand, her other still clamped over the key. The skeleton remained limp as if nothing happened.

“Human! What are you doing?!” Seungwan leapt onto her with a growl and claws unsheathed. “This is Seungwan’s home!”

Irene flinched expecting the girl to really attack her this time. Instinctively, she raised her arm aimlessly and smacked the girl’s throat causing Seungwan to collapse onto her from the blow.

"So warm~" the girl purred clutching onto Irene.

"You're pulling my clothes!" Irene said with annoyance. Finally, she shoved the girl away and picked herself up from the dusty floor. "Come on, I want to see this." She stepped forward forgetting about being scared of Seungwan and the skeleton discovery. Fortunately, the other girl did not argue but watched curiously from behind.

Irene held her breath as she slipped the key into the lock. At first, it gave some resistance, but with a little more effort she turned the key and a satisfying click reached her ears. She pushed open the cover to reveal a clean surface with nothing to show for all her effort. A makeshift shelf sat empty to one side while little stationary holders also remained vacant. Disappointment settled in her chest as she let her fingers brush over the cold polished wood. "Aish..."

There was still one more lock to try: the drawers. Irene unlocked them and pulled each drawer open.

But there was nothing in the desk.

Why would it be locked up for nothing?

"Wait." Seungwan joined her and sniffed loudly. "Seungwan remembers...that smell..." She leaned closer and opened the top drawer again feeling around with her fingers.

The bottom of the shelf shifted and Seungwan used her claws to slip between the sides and lift up a secret opening. She clumsily reached in and picked up a small leather journal that was colored with age.

Both girls forgot about their current predicament as prisoner and captor as Irene stepped by her side to have a closer look at the book.

She took it from Seungwan's hands and carefully opened the front cover, which crackled dryly in the still night. An unfamiliar name signed the top corner with a date from a while ago. Irene had only been a small child at the time of the indicated date. She turned another page revealing a long entry that seemed to be explaining some sort of an "experimental breakthrough" but the lack of light made it difficult to make out most of the handwritten words.

The next entry nearly made Irene drop the journal in shock, and she shot a glance at Seungwan, who remained oblivious to the discovery due to her inability to see.

No. 7 Son Seungwan

Age admitted: 5

Day admitted: 21.02


	6. Chapter 6

Bogum gulped nervously as he sat pensively under the stares of the Bae family, their maid, and their stablehand. 

Mrs. Bae had just given him the most shrilly, fiery lecture of his life. And no one did anything to stop her. 

“You dare to sit your fucking ass in my home?” She screeched. “After what you did to my daughter?! Know this, Park Bogum! You will die before you even set foot out of here!”

The silence around them seemed like affirmation and he began to second guess trying to lay out his plan to warn them of his father’s treachery. 

But he was no brave man. He was just a kid trying to fulfill his father’s wishes. 

Finally, Mrs. Bae was finished only huffing and puffing after not even taking a breath between sentences. Now, Mr. Bae took command. “Why are you here, boy?”

“I...I have come with a message.”

“Tell your father the marriage is off!” Mrs. Bae shrieked. Mr. Bae lifted a hand for silence so that Bogum could speak. 

“He...my father staged the whole thing. He wanted a share of the wealth and I was s-supposed to get rid of her. Then we would stage the whole thing where we’d find her and offer our sorrows—I didn’t want to! but he forced me to...otherwise I’d be disowned!” Bogum spluttered in fear knowing how stupid he sounded. “My father is a dangerous man and I—“

The click of a loaded handgun cut him short and he found himself not too far away from the mouth the weapon. 

“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t blow your brains out,” Mr. Bae growled. “A life for a life. Since you were so willing to kill my daughter.”

“I...I can help you find her!” Bogum cried out pitifully. “I can take you to the place where I last saw her! There's a forest there!"

“How can you help us? You’ve already said you were going to kill Irene. Why should I trust you?” 

Bogum reached into his shirt pocket and held out a small business card. “She can help you.”

Mr. Bae fixed the young man with a cold glare before snatching the small card from him. It was a business card from a renowned bounty huntress.

“What?!” Bogum choked in horror. “I just helped you!” His eyes darted wildly around the room pleading every person for mercy. No one moved. “Y-you don’t even have evidence!”

"You walked into your own trap. Sunny, please contact this hunter," Mr. Bae called to the maid. "To see if he is telling the truth. Jonghyun, make sure this man stays put. Don't leave him unattended."

"Yessir!" Jonghyun and Sunny obliged immediately. They were just as worried about Irene as the family, and anyone who dared to hurt her was a foe.

Meanwhile, Bogum cast a nervous helpless glance at the Irene's younger sibling. Someone had to have compassion right? But no one stepped forward to even consider his case.

—

There had to be light somewhere.

Irene recalled the small box of matches she had used the very first day she awoke in this dark place. She headed back to the bedroom, feeling and squinting through the darkness for the small container.

"Seungwan?" she called. "Have you see any matches?"

"No!" the latter replied indignantly. "No light!"

Irene groaned in frustration. She should have taken the box of matches with her when she first found it. Now it was gone. She left the room to search the other places for anything that would be able to produce light.

She settled upon a room she hadn’t come across before. The door knob was loose and fell off as soon as she opened it. There wasn’t anything except what seemed to be a woodwork bench, and a rustic looking bookshelf holding a candelabra and some antiques. 

Irene searched every corner. Only dust and creepy crawlies that made her feel tingles of grossness in her fingers. 

The whole time Seungwan followed her seeming to be very nervous about something. 

“L-lets play something else,” she suggested shakily. 

But Irene ignored her, intent on finding out as much as she could about this place and Seungwan. 

Something seemed weird about this particular room. It was empty compared to the others. And the bookshelf with the strange exotic antiques appeared out of place in her opinion. 

There were three dragons of similar appearance. Their mouths gaping open and eyes that were dimmed with dust hiding a sheen of ruby red. 

Irene lifted one, and studied it. She blew off the dust and sneezed when the particles flew in her face. 

Seungwan leapt up and hurried over to sniff the object. She growled raising a hand to knock it from her hands. “Bad!” 

Irene quickly drew it away from her protectively. “Seungwan wait!”

“No! It’s bad!” The latter argued and snatched it from her without warning. 

A loud crash followed and the dragon now resembled nothing but crushed ivory from which it was made. 

Irene bit back a curse. What if that dragon head was part of whatever secret this house had? 

The space where the broken dragon head was sunken in as if each one were made to fit inside. A weird engraving lined the bottom like some sort of puzzle piece exercise. 

She went to inspect the other dragon heads and picked another one off. She glanced at the bottom, noticing that it seemed to fit in the vacant space. She put it in, and the dragon head now securely fit. A soft click sounded and the bookshelf suddenly sank into the floor. A gaping dark space opened at them, cold damp air floating towards them. 

Whoever came up with the security mechanism sure made it easy. Perhaps they weren’t expecting any visitors. 

“Human...w-why are we going to scary places?” Seungwan whimpered while following Irene. 

Irene was more focused on her task at hand. “You can go back up.”

“No! Seungwan has to make sure the human won’t scream like a scaredy cat!” She tried to sound annoyed but Irene could hear the shakiness in her voice. 

Irene glanced back in case the bookshelf trapped them inside. It did not move, so she prayed that they wouldn’t get locked inside this dark corridor.

A part of her told her to hang back and not get into any unwanted trouble. But her curiosity got the best of her and she pressed forward guiding herself with her hand brushing the cold cement walls. 

She was intent on following the trail of secrets.

Even without light.

The darkness was suffocating even with all the cool air surrounding them. It smelled old like stagnant water. 

Seungwan pressed close behind her scenting the air and jumping at the slightest sounds of water drops. 

Seungwan whimpered. “Human, Seungwan doesn’t like it...”

Irene couldn’t see anything and Seungwan’s voice bounced off the walls in an eerie echo. 

But was she actually scared? Or was it another one of her tricks?

“I’m not screaming like a scaredy cat,” Irene pointed out. “You can go back.”

“No! This is Seungwan’s home. You have to do what I say!” She clung to Irene’s arm and tugged on her. 

Irene turned in the darkness where she thought Seungwan might be, but her foot suddenly met space. Instinctively, she tried to catch herself, but there was nothing to hold onto as she went crashing down a decline into nothingness. 

When she awoke, she felt a warm tongue against her cheeks and forehead. Warmth draped around her, but there was nothing to see. Just pitch black. 

“Human! You’re awake!” Seungwan scrambled off her. 

Irene groaned. Her whole body ached and her face felt like it had been pummeled. “How long was I out?”

“Lets go back now,” the latter said instead. “It’s too dark. And you taste like grit.” Seungwan made gagging sounds since she had been trying to revive her and clean the unseen dust covering Irene’s face from falling splat onto the ground. 

Without waiting for an answer Seungwan’s eyes flowed green in the darkness and she sniffed around for the direction they fell from. 

Wherever the air was fresher meant that was the way out. And it was too dark to see anything. 

Irene wasn’t going to argue. Her body hurt and she didn’t know how long they had been roaming in this blank space. Curling up in that bed didn’t seem like a bad idea. All her inhibitions about Seungwan wanting to trick her flew out the window. 

Soon, they were back to the entrance from where they came from. The air was fresher in the house, and she flopped down onto a sofa and fell asleep instantly. Seungwan curled up on the floor beneath her, listening to Irene’s slow breathing to be sure she was really sleeping. 

She hoped the human wouldn’t want to go back down there again. The scents in the eerie corridors brought horrible memories of her past. They cut into her mind like a sword sentencing her death, and she didn’t want to remember any of it. 

Anyway, it was a long time ago. Why dwell on the past? She thought haughtily while recalling that Irene was so curious about the mysteries she kept finding. 

Seungwan snorted to herself. The human was just bored. Maybe if they played more the human wouldn’t want to get involved in crazy shenanigans. 

That was the last thing on her mind before she fell asleep too. 

—

Seungwan roamed the soft forest floor, scenting for any intruders. She didn’t forget the last time a group of humans tried to invade this place, and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last. 

A sharp crack was barely detectable among the rustling of the trees and chirping wild life. Seungwan froze and shot up a tree to hide out in the protection of the thick green coverage. 

There was a slight breeze coming upwind towards the direction of the noise. She leapt from branch to branch nimbly and tried to detect anything out of place. Something rustled in the bushes below, but she passed it for a woodmouse since those were common around here. 

Other than that, it was quiet. Not even a bird dared to peep. 

That meant someone was here, or danger was approaching soon. 

A particular wind brought the stench of burnt gunpowder that she recognized from the man who had been with the female human. She followed the trail for a little through the trees just in case humans were still around. No one really hunted here. It must be the people looking for her prisoner human. 

She was getting further from home. Maybe a good thing so that no one would find the human. 

But she felt a bit uneasy. Even though she knew the forest fairly well, the eerie silence and faint rustling made her feel uncomfortable. 

Especially because a scent she did not recognize hung around this area. It was pretty recent too. 

Seungwan heard a sharp yelp from below. A fox’s cry. Pretty soon, the tangy scent of blood hit the back of her throat and she almost gagged. 

She slithered down the tree trunk and rushed to the fading life. One her given abilities was being able to detect a living beings’ life source, aura, or chi if you will. (And that's how she could sense other living organisms' presence including plants).

Seungwan pat the animal’s pelt and it whimpered softly. She let her fingers run along its legs and came across a cold metal object shaped like a jaw with sharp metal teeth latched onto the fox’s leg. 

That alone couldn’t have killed it so quickly. 

She took a deep whiff. Maybe the fox had been shot before running into the trap. 

But it wasn’t until that moment she realized that trying to solve this problem let her guard down. 

A loud pop filled the air and a large net wrapped itself around her tightly. She fell to the floor with a loud thud as the net dig itself tight to her body. 

Growling angrily, she struggled and tried to bite through the material to no avail. 

“Uh-uh!” The stranger called out in warning. “If you try anything funny...” 

Seungwan felt the cold mouth of a gun against the back of her head. 

“You will die,” the voice continued. 

“What do you want, intruder?” Seungwan spat. 

The intruder suddenly bashed her head with the back of the gun. “I’m asking the questions here. I just want to know if you’ve seen a woman around here.”

“Tch. No.” That wasn’t a lie since Seungwan couldn’t see. 

“You sure?” The latter leaned in close until her lips practically brushed against Seungwan’s ear. “Do you really think you can hide her forever?”

“Shut up! Why are you trespassing?!” Seungwan snapped. How was the forest not even reacting to the intruder? The trees would never let anyone in this deep without a struggle. But everything remained calm around her while she was being strangled in the net. 

“Look, kid, I just need to get my job done. You hand her over, I let you go. Deal?”

“What makes you think I have whoever you’re looking for?” Seungwan growled. “You’re making unnecessary trouble!”

Suddenly her back was on fire when a hefty boot slammed down on her spine. She winced, not willing to let the stranger known that great damage had been done. 

“I can smell her on you. Just as I’m sure you scented my presence to have made it this far.”

“I never thought I’d meet my own kin,” the intruder finished coldly and then knocked Seungwan out cold with a hard kick to the head. 


	7. Chapter 7

—

A very small toddler Seungwan clung onto her fluffy stuffed bunny plush and her mother’s skirt as a carriage rolled up to meet them.

It was a particularly cold night. The moon hung high overhead, seemingly casting cold sheens of its light over the freezing earth. 

“Sica, are you ready?” Another woman peeked at them from under a black hat and mask. 

They were running away. 

Seungwan’s father was a scientist, a once well respected researcher who was advanced for their current time. For the last few years, the government had funded him to undertake a mission assigned by himself. He had persuaded them that he could find a way to create soldiers with unbelievable strength and wit to overpower enemies. 

It was a noble and very ambitious feat. 

Needless to say, her father’s work was far from accomplished. No one was allowed to see his findings until it was over. And so, the government decided to stop sending him stipends because his failure to come up with evidence was suspicious. 

Jessica, Seungwan’s mother, had been wedded to the man through arrangement as propagated by society. She cooked for him, cleaned the house, and took care of him and the orphaned children he brought back every now and then. At first she thought nothing of it, as he claimed that they were their children. But after a few weeks of bonding with the children, he would take them away never to return. 

Every time she asked, he would tell her a better home was found. 

They had a child after he took her virginity and then Seungwan was born. 

Soon, he began to ask when their daughter was old enough to eat solid food, and if she could run and walk properly. 

Seungwan was a child! For goodness sake! What did he expect?

But one day, he left the house for a short walk, which gave Jessica a chance to snoop a little. 

Just what was her husband doing holed up in his study all day all night?

The result was horrifying. She rushed back out to where she left Seungwan to play with the family dog (who coincidentally disliked Seungwan’s father). 

Snapped photos of mutilated human and animal body parts flashed in her mind. The unpublished reports on his desk. 

The world’s first human-animal hybrid. 

So that’s where all the children went. 

To his studies. To be used and killed. 

She couldn’t let him touch Seungwan if she could help it. So with the help of her old friends, they arranged to meet up at the edge of town and escape to another place far from here. 

Seungwan felt her feet leave the floor as Jessica handed her over to the lady driving the carriage. The horses were oddly quiet yet they pawed at the ground seeming to feel antsy about the mission. 

Everything seemed to be working just as planned. 

They made it to the new town before the sun split the sky. Tiffany met Seungwan and her mother fretting over them worriedly. 

A couple days passed. Seungwan never actually knew why they ran away. Only that father was dangerous and they were safe in this place. She never spent much time with him anyway. Her earliest memories consisted of her mother and the dog only so she didn’t care about her dad much. He always smelled weird and stared at her in a way that made her uncomfortable. 

Anyway, he was gone now. She liked her mother’s friends. Tiffany and Taeyeon were nice and helped take care of her so Jessica could rest. 

Seungwan was happy. 

But all of that soon became a thing of the past. 

Some time in the night, days after their escape, someone broke in and shot holes through everyone’s head except Seungwan. 

She screamed and wailed trying to revive her mother whose eyes were empty. 

The man grabbed her hand instead and began dragging her away. “Shut it!” He snapped and shook her violently. 

The young child whimpered and tried to bite back sons of fear. Seungwan clung tightly to her bunny now hoping that someone would wake up and save her. 

—

Seungwan awoke with a most pounding ache in her skull, and her body felt like it had been pummeled relentlessly for however long she was passed out. 

A rope uncomfortably looped around her neck while her hands were bound behind her back. The net was gone now, but this wasn’t any better. 

“You’re awake.”

The intruder! Seungwan growled instinctively. 

“Is that all you know how to do?” The voice taunted. “I guess father’s early subjects really were failures.”

“Shut up!”

“Oh why do I bother? Just tell me where the female human is and I’ll let you go.”

Seungwan tried to break her hands out by force, but her efforts were useles. Her captor chuckled darkly and a loud pop echoed through the trees as her fist left a red welt in Seungwan’s cheek. 

“That’s the game we’re playing. If you don’t cooperate I will destroy you.”

Seungwan didn't want to give in, but she also didn’t want to die. 

She still wanted to get angry at her human prisoner and maybe leave a few scratches for good measure. How dare she trick Seungwan? These humans must have strange telepathic powers. The human had been stuck in the dark woods...how else would a hunter come here searching for a lost human? She took in a deep whiff of her new enemy, discovering that she couldn't pick up much except the scent of gunpowder.

Seungwan reluctantly agreed and choked as the intruder yanked sharply on the noose around her neck. 

“Hurry up.” A gun pressed against between her shoulder blades. “No sudden moves either.”

Seungwan grit her teeth in frustration as she was forced to walk ahead of the stranger with a gun pointed directly into her. 

Irene was slightly worried. She awoke to Seungwan’s absence, which was normal because it meant she had gone out to being back those strange fruits. But this time, it had been a good amount of time and she had not returned. The fruit basket was empty.

Right now probably would be a good time to go back and try to uncover the secret in the dark tunnel. Yet Irene wasn’t keen on returning there without a good source of light. And she was afraid to go alone. 

Deciding to wait a little longer, she made one last attempt to search for something that would provide light. What about the box of matches she found the first night here? Drawers slammed open and shut, closet doors thrown open, boxes ransacked...Irene checked under the beds too.

After a few more minutes, Irene noticed the rope which she had used to restrain Seungwan. A lot of unidentifiable fabrics and items were piled closeby. She felt so dumb when she realized the flattened little paper box was the match box from before. She thought it was an old container for playing cards. Feeling jittery, Irene shakily reached for the box.

Just one match.

The lamp sat to the side, wasted and littered with ash from the last use.

However, this would not be enough to light the whole way into that dark tunnel. Who knew how long it went for? Without Seungwan's sensitive nose, Irene would surely become lost in the darkness.

Maybe she could read the journal, her hand strayed to the little book hiding in her pocket. That seemed like the best idea.

I could also escape now, a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her of her predicament.

She didn't know how long she had been here, but the seemingly eternal night made time obsolete. She had gotten used to Seungwan by now, and kind of knew that the girl was probably harmless even though she kept threatening to do dangerous things. What sinister creature would be so afraid of that dark tunnel? She wondered.

Unless there was something in there that Seungwan feared.

Plus, Seungwan rescued her from that monstrous bear. If the wild girl really wanted to kill Irene, that would have been the best moment to let everything fall into place.

No. Now she was just a prisoner in the house while Seungwan came and went as she pleased.

Irene struck the match and lit up some scraps in the lamp before cracking open the old journal, pages crackling.

The information cluttering every line made no sense. Chemical formulas and equations for breakthrough serums and substances were foreign to her knowledge. This was unlike anything she learned at school--what little knowledge she did learn anyway. She wasn't a scientist, but this all looked like advanced technology way ahead of its time.

Apparently, Dr. Son, the writer of the journal and leader of this study, was trying to find a way to make the best soldiers to help the country conquer other lands. If humans could have animal-like traits while retaining their natural born intelligence, the country would have invincible military.

He had proposed that humans and animals (especially wild wolves) must have a common bind that would allow them to merge as one through science.

Also, this research was prior to Seungwan's addition to his lab.

No. 7.

It is with great regret that many of my subjects died while making this finding come true. However, it is not a loss, they have no idea how far they have helped me come to this conclusion. NO. 7 will be my first successful prototype and the government will have to support me once more.

Irene was horrified. This man willingly let other subjects, probably children, die for his sake to continue this unethical research.

She skimmed over the next pages, finding that it was just scientific clutter she would never understand.

The next part was about Seungwan, and a catalog of her progress as his potential first success. The studies seemed promising at first. Seungwan was very young, but her body somehow managed to adjust well, maybe because her body was still developing and in some way, adapting to the changes the doctor was administering.

Her hearing and vision were insanely sharp, and her sense of smell was slightly better than the average human. She was stronger and faster than other humans her age. Her intelligence still remained and she learned as well as any other kid in school. He had hired a private tutor, one of his colleagues, to teach her becuase of this situation. The girl was not social and he did not want to risk any knowing about his research if he let the girl out of his sight.

Soon, the studies became more brutal, in Irene's honest opinion of the procedures.

Dr. Son wanted to replace parts of Seungwan's body such as bones, even heart transplant, and eyes with those from wolves. This process was supposed to make her stronger than a human by having internal body and muscular build up of a wild canine. He allegedly found a way to permit the girl partial transformation for now, and he performed surgeries that overtime, with each entry, crippled the girl.

According to an entry, Dr. Son tried to replace Seungwan's eyes with a wolf's, but the procedure already failed the moment he even tried to attempt it. He unfortunately found out that complete eye transplants were not possible, thus leaving Seungwan blind.

The next entries were absent seeming to have been torn from the book binding.

The final page revealed that he was in danger of being caught for manslaughter, and unethical and illegal use of children in science. He had to hide himself and Seungwan from seeing eyes.

I could have been great. Alas, I have failed to win the president's favor and I must go into hiding. I regret nothing. The country doesn't realize what they are missing out on. My studies will be the greatest success man has ever seen and I will not give up. My dear daughter, thank you for your sacrifice. I promise you can live out your last days alone in peace.

Irene frowned and closed the book. The journal still didn't clarify a lot of things. Seungwan's current existence now made some sense, but it still didn't explain how the hell she got here and how this forest contained supernatural mysteries.

Also, Seungwan seemed to possess more than animal-hybrid traits.

There had to be more information somewhere.

But her thought process didn't get any further because the light went out and there was a loud explosive bang that shook the whole house.

—


	8. Chapter 8

Seungwan felt the hairs along her nape rise as the scent of fresh gunpowder and burnt forest stung her senses. 

Well, her captor truly made a mistake now. The forest was in pain and would surely resort to a higher defense instinct. 

Also, the intruder left Seungwan unattended thinking that her threat still stood. Hah. If that’s what the stupid enemy though, so be it. 

Mist began to fill the area all around them, the view and air becoming clogged with the dense vapor. 

Seungwan sensed the life energy of her captor since she couldn’t completely rely on using her nose through the fog. She quickly lashed out hooking her enemy’s legs from under her with a loud “oof”. 

Then Seungwan took off at a speed no human was supposed to match. But something told her that the intruder was not a mere human at all. 

Despite the dense mist, the years spent hiding out in the vast dark woods proved beneficial. To a person who knew nothing of that place, every path, every tree, every part of the forest would look the same. For Seungwan, thee life energy of every plant was unique and she instantly knew which way meant home.

She couldn’t hear the intruder, and she hoped they would get hopelessly lost. 

She decided to ask the human to untie her and then she would come back out to kill the intruder once and for all. 

Obviously, they wanted her human prisoner and Seungwan wasn’t going to let them have her. 

Ugh, but ever since she kept the human, her whole life went wrong. Other beasts from the forest kept coming to attack, and the human was meddling where her nose didn’t belong. Seungwan growled slightly as she remembered the ransacking the female human had done previously. 

The scent of death continued to haunt her and it made her feel uneasy in her own home. 

Well, then if that intruder wanted the human so bad, so be it. 

Seungwan didn’t feel like dealing with squabbles right now. She just wanted to be left alone. 

After all, she had been promised a life of peace in this forest—only, she couldn’t remember who and when she heard that. Time passed so slowly and quickly, and her isolation from the world outside her house made it easy to un-remember most of her prior life. 

Seungwan scented some wild mushrooms growing to the side and she rolled herself around in it to mask her scent. She very quickly trekked in another direction before returning home. It was highly unlikely the intruder left, and Seungwan needed to plan her next move before another ambush. 

The tall grass brushed around her and she squirmed through the entrance with difficulty since her wrists were bound behind her back. Finally, she flopped down onto the floor and inhaled the familiar scent of the dark house.

Irene had wandered back to the room where the dark tunnel gaped at her ominously. She was still fearful of the place, but something tugged at her. Something was telling her she needed to see what was inside, lying at the end of the unseeing shadows. 

Her hand gripped the small journal tightly. It was the only thing she could hold onto for comfort, not that it was any comfort really. 

But a noise from the main room alerted her, breaking her from walking into that place. 

A small sigh of relief escaped her lips. 

Seungwan must be back. 

And she was right. But Irene certainly did not expect to find the girl writhing on the floor demanding her to untie the ropes around her wrists. 

“Block the entrance!” Seungwan barked at her when she was about to inspect the bindings. 

Irene clicked her tongue, her lips pulling back in a sneer as she went to push the bookshelf in place. “what trouble did you get in this time?” She grumbled. 

Seungwan didn’t seem to hear the annoyance. “Untie me at once, human!” She snapped. 

“Ok fine. Just give me a moment.” Irene ignored the rest of the girl’s complaints and wandered to the kitchen. She pulled open some drawer and found an old knife that had definitely seen better days. It would have to do for now. 

“Stay still,” Irene said, but nearly dropped the knife and fell when Seungwan’s let’s pummeled her. She did a quick back step, her heart beating as she wondered what would have happened had she dropped the blade on Seungwan, or worse, fallen on it herself. It was old but still sharp. 

“You naughty, naughty human. Tricking Seungwan so you can kill her!” The girl wriggled on the floor fruitlessly and angrily. “You want to kill Seungwan after all! Calling your dumb friends to do the dirty work!”

As she continued to blabber, Irene was left in confusion. “Seungwan I didn’t...”

“Hah! Lies! How else can an intruder come looking for a specific female human?”

Someone was looking for her?

Searching for her?

Hope flared in her chest. Father...

“Hahahahahaha! You know what? Untie Seungwan and Seungwan will let you go!” Seungwan became eerily chipper. “Hurry hurry!”

Irene wasn’t too sure about that. Seungwan had been pretty tame the past days...nights? Well, not really. Sometimes the girl was unpredictable and she could never tell if Seungwan was ready to play fight her or actually want to kill her. 

So Irene decided against it. 

She could leave, and find whoever was searching for her, and Seungwan would be stuck in her own turmoil. 

But under the dim rays of moonlight leaking through the cracks, she saw the condition of the girl’s face. Someone beat her up pretty badly. 

Perhaps someone mistook her for danger? Or maybe Seungwan started it. 

That didn’t seem unlikely. Seungwan was always proclaiming death and playing dangerously. Anyone might think she was a mindless serial killer. 

Regardless, Irene still felt slightly concerned. 

“You’re hurt,” she said. 

“Yes! Because you are trying to kill Seungwan!”

“No, idiot. Your face!” Irene snapped. “Aish...Look, I’m not trying to kill you. I don’t even know who is looking for me. If you take me to them I can clear everything up so no one will hurt you.”

“HAH! Seungwan surely does not believe you!” The girl cackled and instantly became a malicious mess. “I’m going to hunt you down forever, human! You leave this place, your name is on Seungwan’s chest. And Seungwan will tear your apart and taste the blood of vengeance! You humans only hunt and use poor Seungwan for stupid things! Seungwan will have revenge! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA—!”

Irene then understood the extent of the damage which Dr. Son had put Seungwan through. 

Regardless of the missing entries in the journal, just knowing the very beginnings of what he had done to her was enough to understand the situation. 

Seungwan was clearly a destroyed and traumatized human girl who was subject to inhumane experiments solely for scientific purposes. 

Every human she encountered at the time was an enemy. Every human she knew at the time just wanted to use her. 

She didn’t know love and caring. 

And up till now, Seungwan had been isolated from society for a very long time. 

Irene had heard of feral children, youngsters who were either abandoned or lost and have no encounter with human behavior or language. 

Was this the same? 

Maybe a little, though Seungwan did have human contact for the earlier part of her childhood days. The experiments had only gone on for a short time, so she probably spent the rest of her developmental stages in isolation. 

Seungwan’s incessant threats became nothing more than white noise. 

It’s not her fault. 

In her mind, I am her enemy. 

—

“So this is the place...” the huntress breathed in awe of the spacious clearing surrounded by nature. 

A large dark house sat to the side protected under the canopy of branches and leaves. 

“You thought you could hide from me, eh? Father’s latest inventions are far more advanced than you, No. 7.”

The huntress pulled out a dynamite and sauntered over to the side of the house. “Sorry father. I know you created this to hide your secret, but I’ve got a job to do. I’ll make sure to destroy the evidence as soon as I can.”

She lit a match and prepare the dynamite. Then, she gave fair distance from it and the explosive blew up clots of soil and wood from the house. 

“Prepare to meet your fate, No. 7.”

—

The whole world shook breath their feet and bits of the ceiling fell onto them in crumble and splinters. 

“Untie me!” Seungwan barked and didn’t even care that Irene used the knife to slice off the ropes. 

Now the girl was back on her feet, and obviously on edge. Her earlier rant seemed forgotten as she told Irene to stay put while she went to check. 

“W-wait...what if it’s that person?”

“It is. The hunter wants to kill Seungwan. But don’t worry. Seungwan will take them with me.”

“No! I can save you!” Irene grabbed her wrist. “I won’t let them kill you!”

“Hahahaha! Funny funny human! Trying to make Seungwan laugh before dying?”

A large crack above them sent dust falling into their faces and Irene felt her back meet the hard floor as the ceiling caved in where she once stood merely seconds before. 

Seungwan was on top of her, and Irene felt their hearts beating so quickly together. 

“W-Why did you...?” Irene stammered. 

“Come out, you!” A different voice calf out from the other room. “Think you’re so smart in your own forest, eh? I know you’re hiding!”

A low growl rumbled in Seungwan’s throat and she leapt away from Irene. 

“Come back!” Irene choked on the floating dust. She ran after her nearly tripping on her skirt and fallen beams. 

A loud bang went off, and Irene dreaded to see what was happening. She turned the corner and saw Seungwan lying on the floor where dark blood looked beneath her. 

Before she could scream, someone covered her mouth and held her securely. 

“So you are here,” the stranger said. “I’m Jennie, a bounty hunter from the other side of town. Your father sent me to find you and it looks like this little devil had you after all.

“I didn’t want to but she pushed me to my last resort. This girl is dangerous, and everyone would be better off without a potential murderer roaming the night.”

Irene didn’t know why, but tears began to roll down her face at the sight of the deceased girl. 

Seungwan...

“It’s gonna be alright. Let’s go home.” Jennie was surprisingly gentle despite being a hunter. She led Irene out through the gaping destroyed wall.

Irene gave one backward glance. The moonlight shone into Seungwan’s glazed eyes of death and the red blood sparkled under the rays. 

I’m sorry...

The way back was so long and tiring. Irene’s legs screamed for rest but she didn’t want to complain. 

A few times she nearly tripped over her own feet, but Jennie never reprimanded her. 

Irene was still in shock. Seungwan had been killed. 

She was dead. 

But was she seriously gone?

The glassy eyes haunted her and she had to fight tears threatening to spill out again. 

“It’s alright,” Jennie finally said after a while. “You’ve been through a lot. I wish you didn’t have to see any of it.”

How can I be sad? Irene scolded herself. All Seungwan ever did was keep me hostage and threaten to kill me!

A horse waited for them at the edge where the forest divided from the streets. 

It had been so long since Irene saw this place. The roads and the buildings looked so foreign after being surrounded in trees and forest. 

A faint rustled alerted the both of them, but only a raccoon scampered our in search of food from the garbage in the nearby alleyway. 

“Would have been a miracle if it were her,” Jennie seemed to read her mind. She smiled at her reassuringly. “Soon you’ll be home and you can be rid of this nightmare.”

Irene simply nodded but she felt strange inside. Like her chest was empty yet heavy at the same time. 

“Hehehehe...did you really think you could kill Seungwan?”

The voice was so faint and hoarse, Irene was sure she was hallucinating when she glanced back into the trees. 

Green eyes glowed at her drawing nearer with every passing second. 

“Anyone who enters this place is cursed.” 

It wasn’t Seungwan’s voice anymore. It was a hollow melancholy whisper tickling her ears. 

“D-did you hear that?” Irene stammered. 

“Yeah. Something’s behind us.”

“Everything you once knew is no longer. Come, my daughter, take the blood that screams your mother’s name.”

Irene trembled and tried to block out the noises. 

“Every human that comes here is cursed. Your heart belongs to the forest.”

“Death is liberation. Liberation is death.”

Those were the last words she heard before the night swallowed her completely. 

—

Irene awoke in a wagon, staring up at the night sky passing overhead. They went over a particularly large bump in the road and she hit her head against the side of the wagon. 

She hissed in pain, and held a hand to the throbbing spot. 

“Awake?”

Irene turned to find the hunter smiling at her from where she rode her horse. 

“W-what happened?”

“You passed out after the dynamite exploded. Didn’t mean to almost kill who I was looking for.”

“W-where’s Seungwan?”

“Oh. The girl? She’s in the other wagon.”

Irene glanced behind and saw one more person driving a horse-drawn wagon. 

“She’s not dead is she?”

“Naw, I knocked her out a bit. We will have an interrogation to decide her punishment.”

I must have been dreaming...she’s not dead. A small bit of relief settled in her chest. 

“Please don’t do anything to her!” Irene begged quickly. “She doesn’t know any better!”

The huntress smirked. “Well, try telling that to the sheriff. She’s committed a crime whether or not she’s even mentally here. They might just put her to sleep considering her condition.”

That ended the conversation on a sour note but Jennie didn’t seem to care at all. 

Of course. It’s her job, Irene told herself. 

“Rest up. We won’t be back until dawn.”

“Right.”

—

Seungwan awoke in the coldest place. The floor was cold, the air was cold. She blinked her eyes open in the dimly lit space. 

She was behind bars and her limbs were restrained with chains. She felt awful. Her head pounded and her body was on fire. 

Heh. That gunshot would have been fatal had the hunter aimed a little closer to her heart. 

Still she managed a good blow and Seungwan was in pain. 

Voices echoed in the halls and keys jingled in the distance. 

“You’re saying a "wild" human sliced up the CEO’s son and kept the Bae’s daughter captive?”

“Yes.” Seungwan recognized the voice of the intruder and it made her blood boil. 

She unsheathed claws though she could do nothing but running it against the cold ground was satisfying. 

“It is best if you put her down, sir,” the intruder, Jennie the hunter, continued. “She is dangerous and not worth the safety of the civilians.”

“We will discuss the matter later. I want to speak with Mr. Bae and Irene personally.”

“Of course.”

With that a door shut closed and the lights switched off leaving Seungwan in darkness again. 

—


End file.
